Quilt for a cure

With Breast Cancer Awareness Month just a week away, one community group is raising awareness in their own way.

Sylvia Stewart, owner of Sylvia's Quilt Depot, finished a breast cancer awareness quilt that she donated to the breast cancer support group. The quilt was the result of a community effort, as individuals donated squares for the finished product.

"There are a lot of people I know who have been affected by breast cancer, and I thought this was a project I wanted to get involved with," Stewart said. "I think it turned out great."

The center of the quilt is a pink ribbon -- the universal sign for breast cancer awareness -- with hearts surrounding it. The blocks that were put together were donated by community members.

"We sold fabric block kits, and we had about 14 people donate back their blocks for the quilt," Stewart said. "Each block has a plant design on it, and every plant on the blocks are used in breast cancer research, treatment or healing purposes. We've only been in business about a year and we are pretty small, so 14 people is a pretty good number for us."

The heart squares are made from "Healing Garden" fabric, with the flowers and plants depicted being the Rosy Periwinkle, May Apple, Bark of the Pacific, Aspidosperma, Meadow Rue and the Sweet Potato Vine.

A logo that contains the pink ribbon and the words "Quilt for a Cure" is located on the squares as well.

Linda Conover completed the quilt top, and after Stewart quilted it, she donated it to a breast cancer support group in the Valley. Originally, it was going to be raffled for a fund-raiser.

Instead, the support group kept the quilt and will be displaying it.

"Jan [Barnes, of the Mat-Su Breast Cancer Support Group] said it touched them so much they could not give it away," Stewart said. "They wanted it for the group."

The names of breast cancer victims and survivors are handwritten on the squares, making it a personal project for many.

Jan Barnes, a member of that group and a breast cancer survivor, said the quilt is wonderful.

"She did a very good job on the quilt," Barnes said. "We are very appreciative of it."

Stewart said there is a big message the quilt sends.

"It is just another way for people to become more aware of breast cancer," Stewart said. "It is a big issue."

Silent killer

Every three minutes in America, another woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. Every 12 minutes, a woman dies from the disease.

Last year, more than 182,000 women around the country were diagnosed with breast cancer. More than 40,000 women died from the cancer, second only to lung cancer among women. Two-hundred women were newly diagnosed in Alaska alone, while 100 Alaskans lost their lives because of it.

Breast cancer starts innocently enough -- a tiny lump on a women's breast. That's why early detection and treatment are so important to beating it in the long run.

"Early detection is the most important step in fighting breast cancer," states the Susan G. Komen Foundation -- a national breast cancer organization. "The earlier breast cancer is detected, the greater the chance of survival."

Unfortunately, the rate of breast cancer continues to rise, which has stymied researchers. In 1960, one in 20 women were diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their life, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Today, that rate has soared to one in eight women. But when detected early, the five-year survival rate is 96 percent.

Prevention tips

The Susan G. Komen Foundation provides these key guidelines for women to follow in order to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.

Perform self-examinations monthly.

Have a clinical examination every three years until a woman is 40, and then yearly.

Get a mammogram yearly after the age of 40.

The earliest signs of breast cancer -- a tiny lump on the breast -- is usually detected during a routine self-examination. Just because you've found a lump doesn't mean you have breast cancer, however. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, eight of 10 lumps detected during self-examinations are not cancerous.

Still, it is vitally important to have every lump examined by a doctor, experts say.

Almost 90 percent of new cases each year involve women with no family history of breast cancer. And while breast cancer risks increase with age, young women are diagnosed with the cancer every year.

While many think of breast cancer as a "woman thing," that is hardly the case.

While it is true breast cancer is rare in men, it can happen. For every 100 women diagnosed with breast cancer, one man will be diagnosed, the National Breast Cancer Foundation said. Each year, about 400 men die from the disease.

October is awareness month

This October, like every October, is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. First proclaimed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, National Mammogram Day is the third Friday of the month -- this year, that is Oct. 18. On that day, radiologists around the country offer low-cost mammograms to women.

There are a number of support groups -- both locally and nationally -- for those who want more information about breast cancer and breast cancer awareness.